Best noise reduction unit for Otari 8 track?

G

Gary C.

New member
I've been looking around at a lot of dbx and Dolby stuff-haven't made a decision as to what would be best for my Otari 1/2" open reel machine.
Any suggestions anyone has would be most welcome.
It'd be great if someone knows of a single-unit machine that'll do 8 tracks at once-but I'm open to using whatever is necessary.
Thanks!
 
From what I understand Dolby is pretty expensive or might be somewhat hard to find. I think Teac made a DX-8 noise reduction unit but I'm not sure if it can connect to your deck.
 
The Teac/TASCAM stuff probably isn't a good match for your deck. Their noise reduction products were all unbalanced, except those that were specifically meant to be mated with a particular deck (ATR-60 and maybe the MS-16?). It'd be best to keep the signal path on a balanced route all the way to and from the deck if possible.

The most obvious solution, in my mind, is four dbx 150x units. They provide dbx Type I noise reduction, which is the variety that you want. Each unit is a half-rack width. You may or may not be able to find the pairing hardware to join two together as a single, one-rack unit but they're easy enough to put on a shelf or ledge.

There's another solution, but I'm not too sure what it could be. dbx made a few products where several noise reduction cards would fit in one rackmount chassis, but I can't name model numbers or give any examples.

I don't have any opinion on Dolby NR, other than that I think the results probably don't justify the expense. If you want totally noise-free recording, try digital instead.
 
Lo.fi is probably right. I only suggested the DX-8 for an all in one unit. Junkbay currently has several of the DBX 150x's for sale for a good price. I have the 150's and really like them. My units use RCA ins and outs for connections. I don't see why they wouldn't work for you. Only trouble with the 150 and the 150x is they are only two channel units. I have seen the cards and chassis that Lo.fi was refuring to but the ones I have seen are very expensive.
 
Is your Otari an MX-5050? If so, it is unbalanced on XLR's. That doesn't prohibit you from using the 150X's. That would also be my recommendation. I have 5 of them. They can accomodate -10dBv up to way past +4dBu nominal levels, balanced or unbalanced. dbx still has the manual available as a download.

Yes you would just need to get 1/4" to XLR snakes, but you'd want to make sure you get the right 1/4" end...I'd have to look in the manual because it is important with the 150X to wire it right if you are running unbalanced on 3 conductor wire. Also mind the fact that the 5050 is pin 3 hot.
 
Gary C. said:
Thanks for the suggestions,folks.
My Otari only has XLR's-I'm guessing somebody makes adapter cables?
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You can buy XLR-TRS adapters, like this one. Be warned, though, that some Otari decks use a different pin for the "Hot" pin. Check the manual and make sure that it matches with your mixer. If it doesn't, you'll need to either order a cable or make one yourself.
 
Ah, sweetbeats "beat" me to it. I didn't know the MX5050 was unbalanced - ? Is that only the 8-track? I have a MX5050 MKIII-2 that I haven't set up yet... it's been sitting on the floor since the beginning of this year, waiting to be overhauled.
 
Okay...just looked at both the 150X manual and the 5050 MKIII-8 manual. You can use any XLR to TRS balanced cable but then you'll want to jumper pins 2 and 1 in the XLR plug.

No 8-channel stand-alone dbx Type I units of which I'm aware except for the DX-8 as mentioned above but honestly I'd look at the 150X's. Another option is to purchase two Tascam DX-4D's...there is a simple mod so that they can be used with any system. Downside to the Tascam is that they are fixed at -10dBv. If you have a 5050-8 it will accomodate -10dBv though...switch selectable. So either way you have to modify something.

There are other multi-channel noise reduction units that Tascam made in 8-channel units but they are to be mated with a particular transport and therefore use the transport's power supply as well as multipin connectors for I/O. Mastercontrolme used to have a tascam 48 with which he used a Tascam DX-8DS...that's the noise reduction unit for the Tascam MS-16, but there was some relatively intensive modification to get it to work...looked slick tho'.

Dolby SR is the other option but $$$ and hard to find. You should be able to get yourself 8-channels of noise reduction in either Tascam or dbx variants for under $150 and then whatever you have to spend on cabling.
 
I like the dbx 150X… two channels per unit so you need four of them. Dolby SR is great, but much more expensive and harder to find. Dolby C is good too (I actually like Type-C better than Pro Type-A), but you don't see them very often and usually stereo units only. Fostex made a 4-channel Dolby C unit, Model 3040. Two of those would work, but I don’t see them very often.

There is one more that I like… a very early encode/decode model made by Rocktron, the Model 180A. It’s basically a broadband 2:1 companding system like dbx. They pop up now and then on eBay. They didn’t catch on because Dolby and dbx were already well established, but they work just as well. There’s also a Model 120A for two-track. I have that model in my rack and it’s very impressive.

On thing I would skip is consumer Dolby Type-B.

I’ve always been a stickler for eliminating tape hiss, and have had no problems using dbx. It’s pin-drop quite even on cassette. On reel-to-reel it’s even quieter than many digital systems. Either way it means virtually no audible background noise. No reason at all to go digital to eliminate hiss.

:)
 
Thanks for all the replies,everyone.
I did go to ebay and look around-found a studio selling 5 of those dbx units,so I got all of them.
Yes,my Otari is that 5050,and it does have weird cabling.I got my unit from a guy in New York several years ago,and he had made cables for it.But I've never tried using the machine with any noise reduction units,so this'll be the first time.
I'm sure I'll be back with more questions,once I get everything here-don't wanna fry anything!!
 
Somewhat older but occasionally seen on ebay is the dbx 180. It is also 2 channel type 1, and similar to the 150, but it has binding posts on the back for balanced or unbalanced connections and will work at either -10 or +4. the manual is avail online. You can still get the Jensen 123dbx trnasfromers for it too.

The dbx rack I think is the 500 series, I can't remembr the NR module. They seem to fetch a high price though.

Dolby "A" units are pretty common too, but e.g. the 360 is single channel, so you'd need 8 of them and 8 rack spaces. The dolby stuff is all balanced, and I think all of it transformer balanced.
 
BTW, I use a pair of Tascam DX-4D's with my Tascam 38. I've also done the mod to use one with a 22-4. The mod is ridiculously easy to perform, and can be done w/o a soldering iron if desired.
 
do you find the noise reduction to be a good thing with the 38? do you use it on all tracks? what kind of music are you doing ?
 
FALKEN said:
do you find the noise reduction to be a good thing with the 38? do you use it on all tracks? what kind of music are you doing ?
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I know this question wasn't meant for me but I like using the noise reduction on my 38. I do not use it on all tracks all the time because I like to get an idea from a regular track and a NR track.
 
FALKEN said:
do you find the noise reduction to be a good thing with the 38? do you use it on all tracks? what kind of music are you doing ?
Click to expand...

Style is probably best described as folk rock and or pop rock, and fairly simple arrangements.

I have had the dbx units about 1/3 1/2 as long as I've had my 38. Last time I recorded I used it for everything but drums (and I may have only disengaged for snare, I have to look at my notes....), I didn't want to take any chances with "pumping and breathing" because of the sharp transients of the drums. I have to say I am very pleased though. There is no tape hiss.

Then I actually forgot to engage it on a vocal channel for one set of tracks and really noticed a difference in tape hiss, meaning I had to act as my own noise gate with the track select switch on mixdown... :o
 
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